Positivity

[melonhead]

there are question marks over just about all of our full-backs

not at championship level imo

[andrew1957]

I don't see us losing many players over the summer and I think we'd have a very strong Champ team again. We're still in the fight to stay up, unlikely to succeed as it realistically looks at this moment in time.

Agreed Ian. This was my point. Realistically few of our players will attract bids from PL clubs and even if they do we don't have to sell now with TSI money behind us.

I think we would let Pog and possibly ALF go for the right price, but we will be able to afford replacements. Hunt might get another year at a lower level and possibly even Roberts if he regains fitness. Other than that I don't see many departures. Possibly Federici - which would clear the way for McCarthy to be number 1 - which many have been crying out for. Andersen might even stay if Fed goes.

Pearce will be off if we don't stay up, but Gorkks might complete his contact if we go down and was very good at that level and we have Morrison (promising - although poor Saturday) and Mariappa - plus Carrico has played at CB.

I still maintain that we will have a hugely stronger Championship squad than the one that won it last year.

[melonhead]

pog and guthrie to go

cant see us letting alf go the first season imo

[BenSmith91]

Thought the whole point of TSI was so we didn't have to sell our best players...

I will cry if Le Fondre goes in the summer.

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

I don't see us losing many players over the summer and I think we'd have a very strong Champ team again. We're still in the fight to stay up, unlikely to succeed as it realistically looks at this moment in time.

Agreed Ian. This was my point. Realistically few of our players will attract bids from PL clubs and even if they do we don't have to sell now with TSI money behind us.

I think we would let Pog and possibly ALF go for the right price, but we will be able to afford replacements. Hunt might get another year at a lower level and possibly even Roberts if he regains fitness. Other than that I don't see many departures. Possibly Federici - which would clear the way for McCarthy to be number 1 - which many have been crying out for. Andersen might even stay if Fed goes.

Pearce will be off if we don't stay up, but Gorkks might complete his contact if we go down and was very good at that level and we have Morrison (promising - although poor Saturday) and Mariappa - plus Carrico has played at CB.


I still maintain that we will have a hugely stronger Championship squad than the one that won it last year.

This. Guthrie surely wont want to stay with us though? He did for Newcastle but i dont think the loyalty is there for us.

[melonhead]

Thought the whole point of TSI was so we didn't have to sell our best players...

I will cry if Le Fondre goes in the summer.

still not going to stand in someones way too much if they say they want to go, and someone big offers us good money

[USA_Loyal_Royal]

Thought the whole point of TSI was so we didn't have to sell our best players...

I will cry if Le Fondre goes in the summer.

still not going to stand in someones way too much if they say they want to go, and someone big offers us good money

Alfie loves this club, i can see him giving us a year in the champ before he moves on. Unless united comes in for him.

[SPARTA]

there are question marks over just about all of our full-backs

not at championship level imo

Agreed. Gunter is a top end Champ player. Shorey would be OK, though didn't pull up any trees on loan to Forest. Kelly would be useful, but Fulham often grumbled that he wasn't one to get forward, and we miss that here too. Gunter does though.

We'll have a decent side next season. Lots to be positive about..

[andrew1957]

Re Guthrie - would a PL side want him. I doubt it. If we go down I suspect we are stuck with him and he is stuck with us - unless we can palm him off on another Championship side but why would he agee to that as he probably earns more with us than he would get elswhere?

[Wimb]

there are question marks over just about all of our full-backs

not at championship level imo

Agreed. Gunter is a top end Champ player. Shorey would be OK, though didn't pull up any trees on loan to Forest. Kelly would be useful, but Fulham often grumbled that he wasn't one to get forward, and we miss that here too. Gunter does though.

We'll have a decent side next season. Lots to be positive about..

I'm more concerned about the drive of the likes of Gunter and Cummings given how Brian has treated them over the past year. Cummings has been dropped for Griffin, Mullins, Gunter and Kelly. Gunter has been binned twice since a big money move, the message to both of them is that I don't rate you as a Premier League player, especially Gunter.

Kelly should be fine but we saw how quickly Griffin dropped off. I'm sure Harte or Shorey could do a job but with both out of contract again we could be left without a full-back.

[maffff]

I reckon we'll be pretty tough on being cherrypicked for players for the first 6 months to a year but looking through the squad can still see a tonne of departures.

Stay
GK Federici, McCarthy
FB Harte/Shorey*, Gunter, Kelly
CB Mariappa, Morrison, Hector,
DM Carriço,
CM Karacan, Akpan,
W Kebe, McAnuff, McCleary, Robson-Kanu, Obita
ST Pogrebnyak, Le Fondre, Blackman,

Go
GK Andersen, Taylor,
FB Shorey/Harte*, Cummings, Mills,
CB Pearce, Gorkss, MacDonald,
DM Leigertwood,
CM Guthrie, Gunnarsson ( ), Tabb, Taylor,
ST Hunt, Roberts, Church, Bignall (surely), Sheppard, Williams,

* one of

Federici/McCarthy, Pearce, Leigertwood, Robson-Kanu, Hunt, Cummings/Gunter*, Shorey/Harte, ALF and Pog are the main uncertainties either way.

If it panned out as above I'd reckon we need at least 6 in this summer

LB, CB, 2x CM, CAM, Striker.

Plus if Andersen and Taylor left we'd want one more keeper on the books, if Henley were deemed suitable for 4th choice. I can see Federici trying to leave, I can see interest in McCarthy, Pog and ALF. I expect we'll lose one winger, might end up moving on HRK, he can't be happy.

re: Guthrie, we had Forest trying to take him on loan earlier in the year, new manager and all but wouldn't be beyond them to show interest again.

[Royal Ginger]

Thought the whole point of TSI was so we didn't have to sell our best players...

I will cry if Le Fondre goes in the summer.

still not going to stand in someones way too much if they say they want to go, and someone big offers us good money

Alfie loves this club, i can see him giving us a year in the champ before he moves on. Unless united comes in for him.

In order for Alf to attract serious Premiership attention he's got to keep scoring goals. If he does that then we'll more than likely stay up. Either way, he'll probably stay.

[BenSmith91]

maff - Why do you have Legsofwood leaving?

[maffff]

maff - Why do you have Legsofwood leaving?

Based on this half of the season it would be crazy to let him go, but I'm not convinced he'll be here next season. Wait and see on that one.

[Ascotexgunner]

Im still trying to stay positive but when I watched Gylfi come on for Spurs I thought what might have been. He alone might have changed it all. He just looked like the quality we were missing. The passes, the shots that dont end up in row z. Wonder how much they would have taken for him.

[bracksroyal10]

Come on lets really get behind the team. We have just short of ten games left, even if we lose some, I am pretty convinced every goal we score is going to count towards our goal difference, its that tight at the moment it might come down to it and I for one would hate to see us relegated like that again it was heart breaking.

I know things will be difficult tomorrow but I geniunely think we can sneak a draw, Everton have been on a little rough patch lately and I think we could take advantage of that.

Lets will the boys on to victory tomorrow all who are going that is!

[Big Ern]

Come on lets really get behind the team. We have just short of ten games left, even if we lose some

Only 9 games left? Did they play a couple of games in secret this week?

I am pretty convinced every goal we score is going to count towards our goal difference

Ground breaking analyses. i would never have made the conncection about scoring goals effecting goal difference.

I know things will be difficult tomorrow but I geniunely think we can sneak a draw, Everton have been on a little rough patch lately and I think we could take advantage of that.

Yes, because our form, especially away from home this season has been stunning.

[maffff]

I am pretty convinced every goal we score is going to count towards our goal difference

Ground breaking analyses. i would never have made the conncection about scoring goals effecting goal difference.

Do goals we concede count too? Because that would suck.

[Big Ern]

I am pretty convinced every goal we score is going to count towards our goal difference

Ground breaking analyses. i would never have made the conncection about scoring goals effecting goal difference.

Do goals we concede count too? Because that would suck.

I haven't got a clue. Will take mightier minds than ours to work out that enigma.

[bracksroyal10]

I meant from the perspective of even if we are losing and we are 3-0 down against Utd/Liverpool/Arsenal. The little consolation goals could turn out to count for a lot!